DOComedy Now

Me and Docs – we are having some trouble; our 20-some years’ romance has halted a bit lately. I fell in love with documentaries around 1994, but … you know how it is… sometimes things just cool off. We’ve been through the usual: “it’s not you, it’s me” (even though we both know it’s not me) and we’ve tried not seeing each other. But you just realize you are in love deep down when you see the other party hobnobbing with all sorts of people and you feel that sting of jealousy … knowing that the others are not good for your loved one. And when you see someone taking advantage of the situation and suggesting all sorts of indecent things, you just want to go punch them in the face (and maybe film it simultaneous). So we went into therapy… and I bought a 188€ accreditation pass for CPH:DOX (with discount from Danish Film Directors, otherwise it would have been 235€ - but hey, therapy is always expensive) so I could go see if I - if WE - can re-find the affection and to expl...

(Alt for l ange) b etragtninger om humorens vilkår i Danmark (in Danish). Humor er liv, humor er uhøjtidelighed, og humor er en god måde at påpege urimeligheder på. Men det er svært at have med at gøre. Prøv at gå ind i en propfuld bagerbutik en søndag formiddag, og når ekspedienten spørger ud i rummet ”Hvis tur er det?”, så sig fra din plads allerbagest i køen med så ærligt et pokerfjæs du kan: ”Jeg tror, det er mig nu.” Det kan være en hel ubetalelig oplevelse, for reaktionen er prompte og sur, for det kan umuligt være min tur, jeg er jo lige kommet ind osv. Men hurtigt går det op for de fleste, at det jo må have været for sjov, at jeg sagde det, og nogle begynder ligefrem at se det satiriske i situationen. Men det er ikke noget, man skal gøre hver søndag – så bliver det gammelt. Humor kan også være ond og ødelæggende.   Eller kan det? For er det så ikke bare mobning og ikke humor? Men hvor går grænsen, og er vi bange for at udfordre den grænse? Hvem må vi gøre grin...

One of the best places to follow the international documentary scene is the blog www.filmkommentaren.dk , run by the two Danish "nestors", Allan Berg Nielsen and Tue Steen Müller. And oh, I almost forgot: I write there from time to time too.

A film course in 5-6 easy steps 1. FIND THE TOPIC Either in a very, very private or a very, very dangerous place 2. FILM THE TOPIC Either very, very handheld or very, very still 3. EDIT THE FILMING OF THE TOPIC Either very, very fast paced or very, very slow 4A. DO A VOICE-OVER Either yourself in English with bad/exotic accent or by famous actor with bad/exotic accent and/or 4B. PUT ON MUSIC Either by a virtually unknown but hip musician-friend of yours or by some classical composer dude. The fifth step runs along the other four and is so obvious I can hardly make myself write it down: 5. TALK TO/LAUGH AT JOKES BY/COMPLIMENT CHILDREN OF/DRINK OR DO DRUGS WITH/KISS ASS OF/GO TO BED WITH etc.: COMMISSIONING EDITORS/TV EXECUTIVES/FILM FESTIVAL DIRECTORS/JURY MEMBERS/FINANCING FORUM ARRANGERS/INFLUENTIAL DIRECTORS/BLOG WRITERS etc. And oh; I almost forgot: 6. MAKE IT A CROSS/TRANS/MULTI MEDIA PROJECT FOR NO APPARENT REASON PS. I must her...